(no subject)

[whomheloved]

Date & Time: 5th April, evening
Location: Disciple's apartment
Characters: Disciple, Helmsman and Nepeta
Summary: Disciple wants to introduce her descendant to her best-friend-who-doesn't-remember-he-is.
Warnings: None, I think!

"I'm really glad you said you'd meet her!" Di babbles at the Helmsman, clearly excited and a bit nervous over the meeting which was about to take place. When he'd been going to meet Sollux she'd been more worried about how the younger yellowblood would act, but with Nepeta at least she felt reassured that she'd be kind and friendly towards the Helmsman.

She just hopes it won't be too awkward. When she'd first told her descendant about her dear friend and what had been done to him she'd done her best to explain how he was now, and not to expect so very much in the way of friendliness perhaps. That his appearance would scare her is another concern, but then again Disciple has such a high opinion of her young descendant that she feels sure she'll rise to the occasion.

All she wants is for them to get along, and that maybe Psii, what little or a lot remained of him inside the Helmsman, would see how proud she is of Nepeta, and how much it means to Disciple for him to get to know her.

Comments

[maiinframe]

"Yeth." The Helmsman is floating in one corner of the room, his arms above his head and his biowires curling across both the ceiling and the floor. There's no small part of him that wants to rip out the ceiling tiles and find the planks underneath them to wrap his biowires around, but he's in someone else's space, so he won't.

[moirailcompass]

Nepeta is more than a little nervous. She wants to make a good impression on this Helmsman, especially since he is someone so important to Disciple. The older troll had been pretty good on filling her in on what to expect but she was still a little uncertain.

Yet by all accounts she was putting on a pretty good smile as she approached the door that led to Disciple's room at the appointed time. She gave a swift knock on it, and folded her arms behind her, waiting patiently.

[whomheloved]

The door opens quite quickly, Di having only stopped to give the Helmsman a quick, slightly anxious smile before rushing to the door at the knock. Seeing her descendant she's hit again by how fond of her she's grown since arriving - not just because of how they're related, but simply because of who Nepeta is as a person.

It doesn't hurt that she's the cutest thing ever either.

She greets her with a smile and moves to invite her inside. "Hello, Nepeta! I'm so glad you could come!"

[maiinframe]

The Helmsman just watches all this from his corner. He takes note that Di seems to have a smaller version of herself around, but the concept of ancestors and descendants is largely lost on him, despite Sollux explaining it. However, if Di describes Nepeta as Di 2.0, he'll understand that.

[moirailcompass]

Nepeta returned the smile and entered. "Of course! I purromised I would, didn't I?"

Di's presence calms her, as it always seems to. Things will be fine, she feels. Curiosity takes over and she scans the room to see how Di keeps it, and to see if Psii is already here.

[whomheloved]

"You did," Di replies, grinning, shutting the door quietly behind them. The Helmsman would have to do without that simplified explanation, because the last thing she'd ever do is describe Nepeta as nothing but another version of herself. She's her own person - her own adorably cute person, who Disciple can't help growing more fond of every time they meet.

"Psii's already here," she lets her descendant know, looking for him. The apartment is quite tidy, really, outside of a pile of two of cushions and soft things here and there. "Helmsman! Do you want to come and say hello to Nepeta?"

[maiinframe]

The concept of anyone wanting to meet him (who isn't an engineer interested in his mechanics) is completely foreign to the Helmsman, and he stays exactly where he is. However, he turns his gaze to look at Nepeta, and he almost looks interested.

"Greeting, user Nepeta. Add user to databankth?"

[moirailcompass]

Add user to databank? This was the kind of thing Disciple had cautioned her about, but it was still a little strange to actually hear it said. Still, Nepeta smiled and nodded.

"Hello, Psii. That's right, my name is Nepeta, and if it helps you are more than welcome to." Should she go along with that sort of thing or discourage it? She probably should have asked that before coming.

"How are you guys doing?"

[whomheloved]

"I'm sure that he will!" Di adds, chuckling lightly as she gets out a chair for Nepeta, piling it with cushions. "Nepeta will come and visit us often, I hope," she notes to the Helmsman, knowing he's more likely to store a name which he'll need to use in the future.

Her descendant settled comfortably, she sets about fetching them all snacks to eat - though she knows it's probably pointless in the Helmsman's case. "We're doing fine, or I am, at least. I'm sure Helmsman can answer for himself." Probably in the form of a percentage, she thinks.

She sighs, and continues, "What about you, Nepeta? Have you been well?"

[maiinframe]

"System designation: Helmsman. Ship designation: Battleship Condescension." Sigh... will no one ever get his name right?

"User Nepeta added to databankth. System ith operating at forty-three percent." Just as expected, he gave a percentage. He really has nothing to say beyond that, and hovers in the corner, certain that Disciple will keep the conversation going.

[moirailcompass]

Fourty three percent didn't...sound very good. Did that mean he was in a bad mood or not feeling well?

"I've been okay. I've been working at the clinic more and more so it's nice to have something to keep me busy. It's really easy to feel idle or restless in this place and that can get so furrstrating." Which was about the understatement of the century. She'd recently come to know that you could go on private missions, like Feferi had done that had been on her mind a while.

[whomheloved]

"He's not been at his best since he was detached from his ship," Di explains in a few words, trying to help out, since goodness knew the Helmsman wouldn't. She very pointedly lays a place for him at the table too, removing the chair so that he wouldn't feel he needed to try and sit down. Maybe at least that way he'd not mind approaching them so much.

"Oh, I know what you mean. Working at the clinic seems like a good way to help out and keep busy at the same time, though! I wish I could think of something like that for myself..." Food now laid out, she takes a seat herself. "We can always go hunting again too if you'd like!"

I'm really sorry he's being such a turd, Nepeta-mun

[maiinframe]

The Helmsman figures out what that extra place at the table means, and obligingly floats forward a little. Maybe if he cooperates and comes to the table, Disciple won't insist on him eating.

For Di and Helmsman; later on

[whomheloved]

They've just finished another of their invigorating little rounds of "Take a sip at least!" "System doesn't require nourishment." "Please, Helmsman, just a bit?" and Di sighs as she pours the remaining soup into a bowl, covering it until it can cool off and be safely stored in the thermal hull for reheating later.

She wonders if Dolorosa ever had nearly as much trouble getting a young Signless to eat as she's having convincing the ancient Helmsman that food won't kill him, and is, in fact, a necessity. Thinking of Dolorosa makes her sigh again, deeper this time. She misses her so terribly, her advice, her quiet help, her unobtrusive way of comforting, even her mere presence...

She turns back to the Helmsna, seeking to distract herself. "Do you feel a bit better now?"

[maiinframe]

If Disciple were able to quantify things the way the Helmsman does, she'll have noticed that he protested for 2.2 minutes less than before, and that he ate 4.4 more grams of soup than usual. He's not stupid, he's made the connection that he needs to eat in this place, as distasteful as the activity might be, but that doesn't mean he has to like it or make it easier on her.

He just stares at her and blinks slowly a few times. He feels an uncomfortable fullness settling between his ribs, and the unfamiliar gurglings of his bodily processes starting up. None of this is pleasant, so "better" is certainly not the word he'd choose.

Helmsna wtf was I typing...

[whomheloved]

If Disciple had to think about it, she'd probably guess those exact things. She knows very well what Psii was like - and it's not too much of a stretch to hope that the Helmsman had retained some of that. She has to hope so. It would mean those tiny hints of him being still in there, somewhere, are real.

She waits for a reply from him, sighing when none is given. She'll take that as a 'no', then. "Do you feel like sitting down together for a while? I mean...you can stay upright if you want, of course." Does she ever miss the days she could simply pounce him and curl up into a comfortable position...

[maiinframe]

Sitting is another activity that the Helmsman can no longer do, and he's actually appreciative that she remembers that. It's nearly impossible to sit when biowires are implanted all along your hips and ass and crawling up your waist.

"System will stay, if thith ith what user Disciple wantth." She doesn't have any exposed ceiling beams in this apartment, so one corner to float in is just as good as any other.

[whomheloved]

"I'd like it very much if you would," she says. It's always so hard to know how to phrase things so that a simple wish isn't taken as an order. She doesn't want him to stay if he doesn't want to! But she doesn't want him to go either. She's been feeling increasingly lonely here, and it's hard to know how to fill that void.

"Are you comfortable over there?" is asked politely, even though she knows it's hardly possible for him to be too comfortable ever. Why can't there be more she can do for him? She feels like a complete and utter failure at doing anything to make things at all better for someone who used to be such a dear friend - who still is, on her side. She can't begin to guess what he thinks of her.

[maiinframe]

The Helmsman isn't sure what to think of her, honestly. She doesn't order him around, and asks him questions about his own preferences, and although the eating thing is extremely annoying, he accepts that it's for his own good and she's doing it because she cares. Which is weird. Who cares about the care and well-being of their helmsman? He's consistently befuddled by everyone here who seems to give a damn about his comfort and what he likes.

"System ith operating at forty-three percent." The numbers are climbing because he's eating, but there's still a long way to go before he's back to one hundred percent again. He floats after her; wherever she settles, he'll find a nearby corner to suspend himself in.

[whomheloved]

"Oh, that's higher than last time! I'm so glad you've been feeling better." She beams at him, curling herself up on a couple of raggedy cushions on the floor - there's no extra furniture in this corner of the apartment, which should make it easier for him to float about there. At least she hopes it will.

"Have you been doing anything new lately? Met any new people?" She's genuinely interested in what he's been up to - and at the same time wants to keep an eye on him. Anyone trying to take advantage of his need to obey orders will be promptly introduced to the Disciple's claws.

[maiinframe]

"Operationth are improving." He's not quite sure how increased operations relate to feeling better, but whatever. He does float relatively close, although he keeps his biowires away from her; he knows they creep people out and doesn't want to frighten her.

"User Drift taught system a game."

[whomheloved]

She may find his biowires a bit worrisome and upsetting, but it's not because of the way they look. It's simply because of how they've invaded his body, changed him - that's what makes them hard to look at. They don't frighten her, though. She could never be frightened of Psii, even knowing what he's capable of.

"A game! That sounds like fun. Did you enjoy it?" She grins up at him - it hadn't occurred to her before, but a few strategy games for them to play together could be a good idea. ...if Di could manage to find the wits and patience for them. That kind of thing isn't quite her strong suit.

[maiinframe]

"System made user Drift'th shanikth run away and then cleaned user'th chronometer." In other words, he gave Drift a run for his money and then cleaned his clock. So yes, he enjoyed it.

"System ith going to program more of user Drift'th gameth at a later point in time."

[whomheloved]

Give her a moment to figure that one out. "Oh!" She laughs. "Beat him at his own game, then? I'm not surprised. But it's great that you're going to program more of them for him! Would you...would you maybe teach me how to play some of them?"

She doesn't want to impose or make him think he has to. She knows that Drift is a friend he's made on his own and that, although the Helmsman won't admit it, he almost certainly enjoyed playing against him. That's what she wants for him, fun, not any kind of self-enforced duty.

[maiinframe]

"System can teach user Disciple if user ith interested in learning."

He did enjoy playing with Drift, and he likes the idea of playing more games with someone else. The fact that she wants to learn and play with him is kind of flattering, and although his expression doesn't really change, his posture relaxes a little, and he doesn't look as tense and highly strung as normal. "What kind of gameth doeth user Disciple enjoy?"